Kuala Lumpur: Louis Oosthuizen found the perfect tonic for his Masters disappointment with a near flawless performance to win the Maybank Malaysian Open on Sunday.
The resillient South African dug deep into his reserves, mastering jetlag, sleepless nights, numerous weather delays and a world-class field en-route to claiming his second European Tour victory this season at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country club.
The 29-year-old carded his second round of four-under 68 this week to ease to a three-stroke victory over Scotsman Stephen, a victory which will see him rise to second on the Race to Dubai rankings behind Rory McIlroy and a possible 12th on the world rankings tomorrow.
Oosthuizen, who had travelled halfway across the world to participate in tournament, defied fatigue after playing 26 holes on the final day of the weather-hit championship, totalling 17-under-par 271 to top the leaderboard ahead of marquee players from both the European and Asian Tours.
“Probably a little bit surprised with the result because I thought I would be a little bit more tired. I played well and playing with my mates from South Africa all week made it easier,” said Oosthuizen, who featured with fellow Major champion Charl Schwartzel earlier in the week before being paired with Hennie Otto and Jbe Kruger for the final two rounds.
“I had a good week despite having a up-and-down morning today, I just hung on for the second 18th today,” added Oosthuizen, who returned in the morning to complete eight holes from his third round.
Advancing into the final round with a one-stroke lead over Gallacher, Oosthuizen found the breakthrough on the tough par four 13th, when he extended his advantage to two shots before a further birdie on the 16th pretty much tied up the championship.
“I had seven-iron in my hand and then suddenly, the wind just picked up and I opted of a eight-iron, which I could commit myself too.I hit a beautiful approach and made a solid birdie. I knew that I had to just get two ahead to get some breathing space,” shared the winner, who picked up US$416,660 share of the US2.5 million prize fund.
The victory, coming on the back of a runner-up finish at The Masters and a third placing at the Shell Houston Open has filled him confidence add another Major into the bag. “It would have been better if I had the Green Jacket,” laughed Oosthuizen. “I had a good two weeks in America and I’m looking forward to heading back for the Players Championship and then, the US Open.” he added.
Gallacher ran out of birdies in end, closing with a round of two-under 70 but was pleased with his second runner-up finish of the European Tour this year after his first at the Dubai Desert Classic. “It’s good, that’s what you want to be in the last round, last group, even if it was the second last group for myself today. The more you do it, the more chances you can knock a couple off,” said the 38-year-old, who accidentally signed for third round 69 despite finishing with a four-under 68 this morning.
“I only had two bogeys the whole week, so fair play to him [Oosthuizen]. He played great great and was on form,” he conceded.
David Lipsky once again underlined his massive potential, continuing his inspiring rise from Asian Tour graduate to winner with a resounding tied third place alongside Spaniard Rafael Cabrero-Bello and Danny Willett of England. The 23-year-old closed with a round of six birdies against two bogeys for a solid 70 and a total of 12-under-par 271.
“I can’t believe where I’m at right now. It’s been great. I’ve been pretty consistent off the tee and my putter has been co-operating with me. Those two things combined really help. I’m proud with how I handled myself, especially with the crowds as I’ve never been in an event like this. It was real fun!” shared the Los Angeles-native, who was playing in his maiden co-sanctioned tournament.
The sole Malaysian to play all four rounds, Shaaban Hussin admitted that his poor driving accuracy and fatigue was the key reason for his failure to produce the goods. The 31-year-old who made the halfway cut on two-under-par 142, managed over-par rounds of 75 and 73 to close with a two-over 290 total.
“I felt I played well except for three silly mistakes which saw me drop shots. I made a good comeback on my second nine with two birdies but I’m not pleased with my finish. This was my best chance to get more money and improve my rankings on the Asian Tour,” said Shaaban, who picked up US$,7,250 for his efforts.
“Honestly, I felt tired and I learned a lot about my physical and mental conditioning this week. I feel that my game is on the right track. I’ve been on a bit of form, so I’ll just need to keep pushing and hope to minimize errors out there, when it counts” added the Maybank ambassador.
Leading final round scores
271 – Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 66-68-69-68.
274 – Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 67-68-69-70.
276 – Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67-72-66-71, Danny Willett (ENG) 69-69-67-71, David Lipsky (USA) 70-67-69-70.
277 – Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 64-75-70-68.
279 – Matteo Manassero (ITA) 70-72-68-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 70-67-71-71, Romain Wattel (FRA) 68-68-72-71, Hennie Otto (RSA) 71-64-72-72.
280 – Scott Hend (AUS) 70-71-73-66, Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 72-68-69-71, Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 65-73-70-72, Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 66-72-68-74, Jbe Kruger (RSA) 70-65-77-68.
